Heybrook crossover upgrade by RFC

[Hudz]

In my seemingly endless search for some speakers in the sub £1000 bracket i've bought and sold approx 10 pairs this year alone, that is until i stumbled on some tatty vintage Heybrook HB3 S2s.

They possessed a lovely warm rich sound but the bass was blooming a little and the tweeters were spitting slightly, yet they still had something about them that appealed and the drivers all appeared okay, so i decided to take the plunge and contacted Paul (Reffc) at Reference Fidelity Components to get his thoughts on repairing/upgrading the xo's.

After some very helpful emails between us the xo's were packed up and sent to Paul to work his magic on.

Photos of the before and after are herehttp://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...FC-News/page32

As you can see from the photos and the description of the work this guy really knows his stuff, tbh some of the technical details were a little beyond me, but i've learned a great deal from the numerous, detailed reports Paul provided as the work was progressing.

Fast forward 2 weeks and they are back in their cabinets and settling in beautifully, bass is now so tuneful, the dreaded bloom is a thing of the past, mids are now so sweet and getting better by the hour, i've just played a Nickel Creek cd and for the first time since i went digital it put a huge cheesy grin on my face plucked strings sound superb, hf response now seems so airy, delicate and light and the decay on cymbals seems endless, no more spitting tweeters

All this for the price of an average second hand pair of standmounts

All i can say is if like me you are constantly buying used gear and ending up bitterly disappointed, don't chuck away your old, tired speakers, get them breathed on by RFC as the service is first class from start to finish and the end product is well worth it. And before you ask if i get anything for writing this the answer is a definate NO, i just feel this guy deserves some praise for the sterling service he offers.

Right that's it from me i'm going to enjoy these elderly beauties some more

[brian2957]

Nice write up Martin . This mirrors my own experience with RFC when I asked him about refurbishing the crossovers in my Rega EL8s . One of the crossovers was in fact breaking up and was rattling inside the speaker . I sent them to Paul and after several emails and 2 long telephone conversations the crossovers were repaired and refurbished . When I refitted them I was gobsmacked at the improvements in an already good pair of speakers . That was a couple of months ago and now they have settled in I'm really happy with them . I can't recommend Paul and his service highly enough . If you have a pair of speakers which you are thinking of upgrading you should talk to Paul at RFC first and find out what your options are , and possibly save yourself a lot of cash.
Like you I received nothing for writing about my experience with RFC . i just think that experiences of exemplary service like this should be passed on to other enthusiasts.

[Hudz]

Thanks for that Brian, its only credit where credits due as i've never in my 48 years experienced customer service like it.

Thanks to Paul i've finally finished throwing money away on fleabay, well for now anyway.

Nice write up Martin . This mirrors my own experience with RFC when I asked him about refurbishing the crossovers in my Rega EL8s . One of the crossovers was in fact breaking up and was rattling inside the speaker . I sent them to Paul and after several emails and 2 long telephone conversations the crossovers were repaired and refurbished . When I refitted them I was gobsmacked at the improvements in an already good pair of speakers . That was a couple of months ago and now they have settled in I'm really happy with them . I can't recommend Paul and his service highly enough . If you have a pair of speakers which you are thinking of upgrading you should talk to Paul at RFC first and find out what your options are , and possibly save yourself a lot of cash.
Like you I received nothing for writing about my experience with RFC . i just think that experiences of exemplary service like this should be passed on to other enthusiasts.